At dinner, they had talked about what being a submissive meant to Darren and what was now required of her. Some things sounded wonderful to her now that she had a taste of serving him.

Other things sounded scary, or painful, or both. Those things she agreed to blindly over dinner, lost in Darren's penetrating gaze and thinly veiled excitement about trying them with her. She hadn't seen him excited at work about anything, and she fell into his excitement without much thought about what he was saying.

She knew for a fact he liked to inflict pain! Her nipples were tender from last nights' introduction to clamps, and though the beautiful marks on her wrists had gone, she could feel the bruises forming under her skin.

They both excited her.

Spanking? No problem. Nipple pinching? Check.

Anal? She had been curious about that anyway. It used to be such a taboo, but these days, the stigma had worn off it, and she wanted to give it a try at least.

Butt plugs, however, sounded a little outside her comfort zone. She had read somewhere that life begins outside comfort zones and if she was willing take his cock in her ass, how bad could a butt plug be?

I never would have imagined myself asking that question a week ago, she thought. How quickly things can change!

Caning, face slapping, deep throating, flogging all made her anxiety bubble in her belly, but as she looked at his sleeping face, she knew she trusted this man. He would break her in slowly, safely, and at her pace.

She could handle the sex stuff. So far, the sex they had was beyond anything she could have ever imagined sex to be. She wanted more of that for sure.

Darren had also mentioned her duties outside the bedroom.

She was to be clean shaven at all times and inspections would be conducted at random. She was to stand when he entered the room and she was to see to his needs if he had any.

She would wait for his permission to sit, and if none was given, she was to stand by him silently until he gave it.

She was to be ready and willing to perform any agreed upon sex act at anytime. She would have to trust him not to abuse that one. She would not be doing anything like they had done last night in public.

He would teach her everything she needed to know, and she was ready to learn. She felt the need to be the best sub she could be for him from somewhere inside her she didn't know was there.

Giving in to his desires so far was having a profound affect on her. She hadn't worried once about any of the usual mental sewage that held a prominent place in her daily life. No self doubt, no nagging sense of inadequacy, no bullshit comparisons to younger prettier girls.

And for the first time that she could remember, she felt no doubt about Darren. Past boyfriends and lovers always came with some "thing" that she instantly disliked or that lodged the first seed of discontent in her mind.

Even her ex-husband had triggered her doubt sensors from their very first date. He was handsome, smelled amazing, and the way other women looked at him made her feel lucky she had somehow manage to land him.

He was quite charming, but she could feel something hiding just under the surface as they played a light hearted game of mini-golf before going for dinner and a couple of cocktails. He had an excuse for every shot he missed. Every one of them.

He missed a lot of shots that day.

The biggest red flag was when Shawna beat him on a hole. She could feel his resentment coming through his half smiles and fake humility. He brought that hole up the rest of the game and seemed determined to make her understand how lucky she had been to beat him.

It's mini-golf, she thought. Who cares?

He sure did.

Against her better judgement, and because of his looks and the stir he caused in other women, she buried her doubts and ignored her ever growing collection of red flags and stayed with him.

The end finally came when she learned that the stir he caused in other women was more important to him than she was. He followed up with several ladies before she found out, and by that time, she didn't even care. She stopped having any kind of sex with him, and carried on like they were a happily married couple.

One summer evening after he had come home from work, showered, got himself ready for a date, and left without even aknowledging her existence, she packed a few of her favourite things and left.

It was three and a half days before he even sent her a text. He asked if she knew where his favourite green tie was.

Her self worth at that time was non-existent. She felt like a scrap of old garbage kicked under a leaky dumpster in an alley somewhere.

You've come a long way, Shawny. That will never happen again. You deserve the best and there's no settling for anything else. You are a strong beautiful woman and the lucky guy that finally wins your heart will know how lucky he is.

Shawna wasn't ready to give her heart away yet. She still guarded it like teenager guards her phone, but she already felt something with Darren she hadn't felt in a long time: trust.

Darren stirred out of his sleep. He opened his eyes and smiled a big genuine smile at her.

Reaching out and touching her face lightly, he said "Good morning, beautiful. How was your sleep?"

Dear god this man is a gift, she thought.

"Good," she said, smiling and revelling in his gentle touch. "You look so peaceful in your sleep," she said.

"Were you watching me for long?"

"A couple minutes," she said. "I just woke up, too,"

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I make a mean French toast."

As if on cue, her stomach let out a loud squelchy embarrassing rumble. Her cheeks flushed immediately and her eyes widened to golf ball size.

"I'll take that as a yes," Darren laughed.

"As your servant, shouldn't I be making you French toast?" She asked.

"All in good time," Darren replied. "First you have to learn how to make coffee the way I like it. We'll work up from there."

Darren got out of bed and Shawna got her first clear eyed look at his naked body. He was tall, on the smaller side build wise, but nicely proportionate. She could see that his years of construction work had hardened him at one time, but office work had softened him some.

His butt had a sweet swing to it when he walked, though. She held back a giggle as the thought crossed her mind.

"Are you coming?" he asked as he slipped on a pair of pajama bottoms.

"I never pass up French toast," she said and flung the blankets off her own naked body. She felt a rush of exhilaration being so boldly naked like that.

Darren stood motionless for a moment, running his gaze over her body. "You are even more beautiful in the daylight," he said. If my neighbours weren't so nosy, you wouldn't wear clothes around here ever again."

He gave her a devilish smirk and walked out of the bedroom, leaving her to take care of her personal needs.

After a pee and some cleaning up, she stood naked in front of Darren's closet looking for a shirt to wear. She had a specific shirt in mind. She loved it on him when he wore it at work.

Found it!

It was an ever so slightly faded royal blue button up shirt that looked like it was made for him. She slipped it on, disappointed to smell only the freshly washed smell of laundry soap. His cologne was painfully absent.

Her underwear was no where to be seen, so she went without any and strolled into the kitchen.

Darren was already whisking away at some unfortunate eggs when he stopped in his tracks at the sight of her.

"Well hello there," he said smiling.

"I hope you don't mind I borrowed a shirt," she replied playfully. "My dress is still in the basement."

"It's never looked better," he said and slowly started whisking again.

"This is my favourite shirt of yours," she said. I love seeing you in it at work."

"I'm flattered you would notice something like that," he said. "Have you been ogling me at work, Miss Burns?"

Darren gave her another big smile. "I encourage that kind of behaviour," he said. "It's time to make coffee. Come here and I will give your first lesson."

Shawna felt Christmas morning excitement in her mind and almost ran over to him.

Wow, she thought. That was different.

Darren walked her through the process of making his coffee. Grinding just the right amount of fragrant coffee beans to the right consistency, and how to set up and use a French press. She had never made coffee this way before, so the lesson was practical beyond learning to make Darren's coffee.

As she waited for the water to heat up to just below the boiling point, she sat down on a stool at the island to watch Darren work his magic in the kitchen.

She looked out the big kitchen window and felt a new appreciation for the soft morning sunlight. When she looked back at Darren she froze.

Darren was staring at her, egg bowl in hand. He was not smiling.

"What is it?" She asked, a chill rushing through her.

"You need to ask permission to sit," he said.

Shawna jumped off her stool so fast she almost knocked it over. She saved it and stood beside it dutifully.

"Sorry," she said. "I forgot about that."

Darren returned to whisking the egg mixture and said "This is day one of your training. Mistakes are ok. I know you'll get the hang of it."

Relief flooded through her, expelling the cold that seeped through her.

"Thank you for understanding," she said. She was disappointed she has let him down. "May I sit down, please?"

"Yes, you can," Darren replied. "I know this is a big change. While you are learning, there won't be any punishments."

"Punishments?" She asked.

"Punishments," he replied casually. "Once you are fully trained, these small things will become second nature. Defiance will bring consequences, naturally."

Naturally. Naturally he says like it's the most natural thing in nature.

"What kind of punishment, exactly?" She asked.

Darren glanced up at her from his French toast. He grinned his evil grin.

"Hopefully, we never have to find out," he said, returning to his pan.

The French toast aroma filled the kitchen and Shawna remember how hungry she really was.

"Do you hear the sound the kettle is making right now?" Darren asked. "That sound means the water is the right temperature. Come over here and I'll continue Coffee Making 101."

Shawna rushed over to the kettle eager to make up for her sitting mistake. The punishments question dropped out of her head as she focussed solely on her lesson.

"Pour the water in slowly," he said, watching her as she obeyed his directions.

"Do you see that little timer on the shelf? Set that for three and a half minutes," he said. "The cream is in the fridge on the top shelf of the door, and the sugar is in the last cupboard on the right."

Shawna gathered the cream and sugar while she waited fo the three and half minutes to pass.

"Where do I find the cups and a spoon?" She asked.

"Top drawer beside the fridge, and the cupboard beside the one with the sugar," he replied without looking up from his pan.

"I think you are going to be very happy with breakfast," he said.

"I'm sure I will," Shawna answered. "It smells amazing."

Darren shut off the stove, put the last piece if fresh toast onto a plate and put it in the oven to keep warm.

"Now," he said, "I'll show you how I like my coffee, and then you'll set the table."

He joined her by the coffee press and showed her how to finish the brewing process. He added the cream and sugar in the proportions he liked and made sure Shawna understood everything. He was caring and meticulous, never condescending. He seemed to genuinely want her to know and understand what he was showing her.

With his coffee made, he watched as she made one for herself. His interest in how she liked her coffee was just as genuine as his teaching had been about his. Shawna had no doubt if he ever made her a coffee one day, it would taste exactly the same as the one she made in front of him.

Coffees made, Shawna set to work setting the table. Darren guided her through the kitchen cupboards and drawers, and in just a few short minutes, the deed was done and breakfast was finally served.

This time she waited patiently beside her chair as Darren sat in his chair.

"May I sit with you?" She asked.

Darren smiled. "Very good," he said. "Please sit."

Upon her first bite of Darren's mean French toast, Shawna's mouth came as close to an orgasm as a mouth could come. It was amazing.

"Oh my god," she said still chewing. "This is fantastic."

"I'm glad you like it," he replied proudly. "I like to think I'm pretty good in two rooms of the house."

If I was alone right now, I would shove this whole thing in my face, she thought, laughing at herself.

Just then, a huge orange cat strolled into the kitchen and meowed at them. It regarded Shawna with mild curiosity, but had more pressing matters on its mind.

"Hello, Pedro," Darren said. "We have a guest. Let's not be rude. Pedro, this is Shawna. Shawna; Pedro."

"Delighted," Shawna said playfully. She remembered poor Chester was probably at home thinking the world had ended because his food dish was empty.

Pedro meowed again before walking back into the living room and flopping on the floor where Darren had fingered Shawna to ecstasy the night before.

"After we're done here, I'll drive you to your car," Darren said. "I have a busy day for the rest of today, and most likely tomorrow as well."

"Ok," Shawna said, disappointment welling up in her. "I have a few things to take care of as well," she lied.

"I'll be thinking about you until I see you again," he said, melting Shawna's heart a little.

"I don't know if I'll ba able to think about anything else," she replied. It's been a hell of a first date."

"It has," Darren agreed. "We have a lot of ground to cover in our next few dates."

"Next few dates?" She asked coyly. "You're pretty confident I'll go out with you again."

Darren smiled. "My French toast is only available after dates, so I'm pretty sure you'll be back."

"You got me there," she said. "And the sex was ok, too."

Darren raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine," she said. "It was insane."

Darren's eyebrow settled into its place with the rest of his proud smile.

"Speaking of insane," Shawna said. "What are we doing about us and work."

"I'm happy to announce to the world that we've been out I hope to keep seeing you," he replied. "The finer details of our night will remain between us."

"You mean the nipple clamps and ropes?"

"Yes," he said. "And please remember those are introductory. We're going down a path very few people will understand. It'll be beautiful and it'll bring us closer than anything you've ever had before, but for the vanilla world, it's borderline criminal."

"I would've been in the same boat a couple days ago," she said. "Can I ask you something?"

"I insist you do anytime you have a question," he said.

"If you like me," she began slowly, "why do you want to hurt me?"

Darren studied her for a moment before answering. "It might sound kind of funny, but it's because I like you that I want to hurt you."

Shawna's face made a confused look as she worked that statement through her mind. "You hurt me because you like me," she said slowly. "That does sound funny."

"It's a bit hard to explain," he said. "For me, when I saw you the first time, I thought wow, that woman is gorgeous. My desire to cause pain in the bedroom obviously means I need more than beauty if I want to pursue someone. My tastes are not exactly run of the mill."

"I noticed," Shawna replied.

He smirked his captivating smirk. "I watched you, and noticed your natural inclination to serve through your interactions with the people at work, so I figured you for a submissive. That's important to me as a Dom, and it was enough for me to make a move. The sadistic side is a deal breaker for most women, so that's why we had the talk at dinner. I am a sadist and a dominant. It's as much a part of me as being tall, or how I walk and talk. If I can find someone to take that ride with me, and accept that about me, then there is the real potential for more of a relationship."

Shawna listened closely, learning as much as she could. "You say I'm a submissive, so is that part of me the same way being those other things are part of you?"

"Exactly," he said. "It's who we are, despite what we've been taught in school."

Shawna thought some more on what he was saying. She did feel better serving him than at any other time in her life. Her mind was mostly quiet during the painful sexual things they had done and that never happened.

It was all very new to her still, and she had many more questions. They could wait.

Except one.

"Were you abused as a kid or something?" she blurted. "I'm sorry...that's super personal. I shouldn't have asked you that. God, I feel so stupid."

Darren laughed as she fumbled her words and blushed a thousand shades of red. "It's ok," he said. "A lot of people think that. It's a big misconception. I was never abused, and I'm not damaged somehow and using pain and sex for some kind of therapy. In fact, I'm going to have dinner with my dad this evening. We do it one Saturday of every month since my mother passed away."

Shawna still felt like she was possibly the most ridiculous person to ever sit at his table.

"I'm an idiot," she said. "Are you sure about a second date?"

"You are not an idiot, Shawna," he said calmly. "You've just been misinformed. Most people have no idea what this kind of lifestyle is really about."

"And what is it about? The sex is amazing, I know that."

"The sex is only part of it," Darren said. "And sometimes there's no sex at all."

"No sex?" She blurted. "That's a shame."

"Being a Dominant or a submissive is about power exchange," he said. "It's about trust, and caring for the other person more than caring even about yourself."

"Oh," Shawna said. "I never would have thought that. It just seems to be about someone telling someone else to do and then having crazy sex."

"From the outside, yes," he replied. "But in reality, the submissive is the one in charge of her submission. That's the reason we had that talk over dinner. If there's anything you aren't comfortable with, that thing stops. Every time. No matter what I migh want at the time."

"I think I'm starting to see that," Shawna said. "That's what the safe word is all about, too, right?"